Religious Education
At Crowton Christ Church C.E. Primary School, we inspire and empower all members of our school community, providing the knowledge to enable everyone to thrive and flourish in an environment where passions, talents and interests are discovered. Guided by our Christian Values, we are all determined to serve and lead the diverse world we live in treating everyone with compassion, dignity and respect.
"Religious education in a Church school should enable every child to flourish and to live life in all its fullness. (John 10:10). It will help educate for dignity and respect encouraging all to live well together." -A Statement of Entitlement, The Church of England Education Office, February 2019
Our teaching of Religious Education enables every child to flourish and to 'live life in all its fullness' (John 10:10). It aims to help educate for dignity and respect, enabling all to live well together. RE is a highly valued academic subject that enables understanding of how religion and beliefs affect our lives. We provide an RE curriculum that is rich and varied and studies a range of world religions and worldviews. At the heart of RE at Crowton, is the teaching of Christianity, rooted in the person and work of Jesus Christ that enables learners to acquire a thorough knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith.
Intent
At Crowton Christ Church C.E. Primary School, we aim to promote the highest academic standards in all areas of the curriculum and provide a foundation in the Christian ethos, so that our pupils can value and live their faith to realise and achieve their full potential. Our actions are guided by adherence to our Chrisitan values, British Values and our concern to do the best for our children and wider school communities. We aim to teach a full curriculum that prepares our pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and diversity of life in modern Britain and the wider world through use of the Chester Diocese Syllabus.
Following the Diocese of Chester Guidelines for Religious Education, the majority of work in Religious Education will be based on the Christian faith with the introduction of one other major world religion – Judaism – at Key Stage 1. Further concepts of world faiths (Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism and Buddism) are taught at Key Stage 2 where knowledge and understanding can be built upon.
The purpose of teaching Religious Education in school is to:
- To show children that Christianity is about following the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and is relevant to their daily lives.
- To extend children’s ability to reflect upon themselves as whole people, experiencing life through body, mind and spirit.
- To help pupils understand the significance of religion and its contribution to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of themselves and others.
We aim through our teaching:
- To provide a course of Religious Education within the framework of the Diocese of Chester Agreed Syllabus appropriate to the educational needs of the children in our school, at their different stages of development. It is supported, where possible, with the Understanding Christianity resource.
- To contribute to the spiritual, social and moral development of the school as a caring community and the pupils as individuals.
- To assist and encourage experience of Christian life and worship.
- Through study of major world religions, to encourage understanding and appreciation of the rich diversity of religious belief and practice in society today.
We aim to encourage children in our school:
- To grow in awareness of others through learning activities involving sharing and co-operation and to develop trust and respect for others.
- To formulate their own sense of purpose in life and to embark upon a personal search for a faith by which to live.
- To learn something of the religious experiences of others.
- To develop their own beliefs, values and ideals in the light of their experiences.
- To develop respect for other people, their beliefs and their life-styles.
- To develop an enquiring attitude towards religion and to explore the purpose of activities such as prayer and worship.
- To develop their understanding of The Bible and how elements sit in The Big Story.
- To develop a wide range of skills including enquiry, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and reflection of the theology, philosophy and social sciences of faiths.
Implementation
Our curriculum follows the Blackburn Diocesan Board of Education RE Syllabus for Church Schools – Questful RE. Questful RE also incorporates a programme of study called Understanding Christianity. Understanding Christianity bases Christianity within a framework called "God’s Big Story," which develops an understanding of the Old Testament and the New Testament and supports children to sequence the timeline of the Bible.
By embracing the explicit teaching of Christian concepts and God’s big salvation story, it is hoped that the content of this syllabus will give pupils a deeper understanding of Christianity. In addition, pupils explore all major world faiths and discuss world views where appropriate. Whoever we are, wherever we live, whether we are a person of faith or not, we all have a view on the world. Nobody stands nowhere.
Quality RE has the potential, more than any other subject, to have the most powerful and lasting effect on the child’s heart and mind. It is a subject that combines academic rigour with the development of the character and spirit of the child. RE provides opportunities for spiritual development and personal reflection. On a quest to discover more about religion and world views, pupils will discover more about themselves.
For each unit, a series of inspiring lessons are planned, with clear knowledge-based learning objectives and progressive subject-specific vocabulary. Although key celebrations such as Christmas and Easter may be visited many times during a child’s time in school, a different aspect and learning experience will be covered, so that progression can be seen in the quality and depth of learning.
As RE develops children’s knowledge and understanding of the nature of religion and belief, it provokes challenging questions about meaning and purpose, truth and values, identity and belonging. Pupils will experience, explore and encounter a wide range of creative and challenging multi-sensory activities that will help them to discover the answers to fundamental questions such as these:
- Who am I and what does it mean to be me?
- In what ways do/can I relate to others?
- How/where can I encounter God?
- How can I make a positive contribution to the world in which I live?
- What values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviour are important to me?
- What does it mean to have faith?
- Who/what influences and inspires me?
Through an open investigative enquiry approach the pupils will be given the sense of being on a quest of discovery. A key feature of the syllabus is the large number of questions included in each unit. The purpose of these questions is to give pupils opportunity to investigate, reflect, evaluate and make meaning. In doing so they will discover more about themselves, their relationships with others, their relationship with the world around them and their relationship with God. The questions set the route through the curriculum content.
The curriculum content is a balance of the three essential disciplines of quality RE: Theology, Philosophy and Social Science. This means pupils will look at concepts through a theological lens, exploring what people of faith believe. Alongside this, pupils will explore questions and answers raised in relation to the lived reality and impact of religion and world views on people’s lives. They will also think like philosophers, and be equipped with the skills that will enable them to make sense of life’s experiences.
RE prepares children for citizenship in today’s diverse society. It enables them to develop sensitivity to, and respect for others. Through authentic encounters with living faith communities, pupils will develop diversity dexterity and be equipped with the ability to hold an informed conversation about religious beliefs and practices.
The teaching of RE is both a huge responsibility and a privilege that must be recognised by those who teach it.
Impact
Religious Education at Crowton develops pupils'...
- knowledge and understanding of, and their ability to respond to, Christianity, other principal world religions, other religious traditions and world views;
- understanding and respect for different religions, beliefs, values and traditions (including ethical life choices), through exploring issues within and between faiths;
- understanding of the influence of faith and belief on individuals, societies, communities and cultures;
- skills of enquiry and response through the use of religious vocabulary, questioning and empathy;
- skills of reflection, expression, application , analysis and evaluation of beliefs, values and practices, and the communication of personal responses to these.
Religious Education at Crowton encourages pupils to:
- consider their own thoughts and opinions on the challenging questions of the meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, their own self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human;
- understand the influence of religion on individuals, families, communities and cultures
- learn from different religions, beliefs, values and traditions while exploring questions of meaning and their own beliefs;
- learn about religious and ethical teaching, enabling them to make reasoned and informed responses to religious, moral and social issues;
- develop their sense of identity and belonging in the world, preparing them for life as citizens in a multi-cultural global society;
Religious Education at Crowton enhances pupils'...
- awareness and understanding of religions and beliefs, teachings, practices and forms of expression;
- ability to reflect on, consider, analyse, interpret and evaluate issues of truth, belief, faith and ethics and to communicate their responses.
Religious Education at Crowton offers:
- opportunities for all pupils for personal reflection and spiritual development;
- preparedness for life in a multi-cultural global society where they can exist in harmony with others and live life to the full.